Tennessee Senate panel recommends against sports wager bill

Tennessee Senate panel recommends against sports wager bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee Senate panel has voted to recommend against passing a bill to legalize sports betting in the state.

The Senate Government Operations Committee voted 8-1 Wednesday to make a negative recommendation on Republican Sen. Steve Dickerson’s bill. The legislation still heads to another committee for a vote, but Wednesday’s vote could hamper its prospects.

Dickerson’s legislation would allow and regulate statewide mobile and interactive sports gambling, with no brick-and-mortar locations to place bets. Dickerson said it could generate up to $50 million in revenue in its second year.

Dickerson said the bill would bring sports betting from the black market into a regulated, legal setup.

Republican Sen. Janice Bowling questioned whether people currently gambling illegally would instead do it legally.